GREEN BAY – The Packers worked through steady rain during a closed practice at Nitschke Field on Monday.
Here are five things we learned:
- Green Bay modified practice for a returning Jordan Love.
The Packers traded two of their 11-on-11 periods for 7-on-7s to accommodate their starting quarterback, who practiced for the first time since undergoing a procedure to repair a ligament in his left thumb last week.
In lieu of traditional center-quarterback exchanges, Love started drills with either the ball placed on a stool or already in his hand for shotgun looks. When the rain started midway through practice, Love also wore a plastic cover on his non-throwing hand.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur is notoriously not a fan of 7-on-7 drills but felt it was the best way to integrate Love back into practice as soon as possible, especially with the sixth-year veteran unlikely to take team reps against Seattle during Thursday's joint practice.
"We're going to alter some things to allow him to get involved," said LaFleur on Sunday. "Do my favorite 7-on-7 that I absolutely despise, but in some instances it's good. I'd rather have him do that than just throw on air."
Despite the wet conditions, Love made a few nice throws in the two 7-on-7 periods. He showed good touch while hitting rookie Matthew Golden in the end zone on a corner route, lofting the ball just over defensive backs Evan Williams and Javon Bullard.
Backup quarterback Malik Willis likely will see most of the No. 1 snaps when the Packers square off against the Seahawks this week after leading the starting unit during last Thursday's joint practice and Saturday's preseason game against Indianapolis.
Grateful for the extra work, Willis also was happy to see No. 10 back on the practice field with the Packers' three other QBs on Monday.
"It was cool. It was like the four Musketeers back together, just rolling," Willis said.
- Emanuel Wilson was happy to lower the boom.
While the Packers' third-year running back laments his lost fumble in the second quarter of Saturday's 23-19 win over Indianapolis, Wilson ran hard the rest of the way vs. the Colts.
After gaining 11 yards on his next carry, the 5-foot-11, 226-pound running back keyed Green Bay's first scoring drive when he took a short pass in the flat from Taylor Elgersma for 32 yards before plowing through Colts cornerback Samuel Womack.
Wilson initially thought about hurdling Womack before seeing his feet stop. With that intel, Wilson lowered his shoulder pads into the cornerback to bring the Packers' sideline to its feet.
"It felt great actually being able to go out there and showcase the other stuff I have in my bag," Wilson said.
Wilson finished with 65 yards on six touches in his first extended action since an injury scare with his knee in practice earlier this month.
The third-year veteran could be in for another heavier workload this week against the Seahawks after LaFleur announced Sunday that 2024 third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd will "miss some time" after suffering a hamstring injury in Indianapolis.
Lloyd, who was limited to just one game during his rookie season due to a series of injuries, sat out of Green Bay's preseason opener against the New York Jets due to a groin injury he suffered earlier in camp.
"He's trying hard, he trains the right way," running backs coach Ben Sirmans said on Sunday. "We always have some optimism, he has optimism when he comes back, it's just for whatever reason just unfortunate occurrences for him."
- The rain didn't deter the Packers' plans for practice.
The only 11-on-11 period of practice came at the same time rain was falling the hardest at Nitschke Field, making it difficult for players to maintain their footing and catch the ball.
Receiver Cornelius Johnson made a rather slick catch from Elgersma despite the conditions while Willis hit Romeo Doubs on a deep ball down the right sideline as the rain started to lighten up.
With temperatures hovering around 65, Willis estimated it might have been the chilliest summer practice he's ever participated in, but the Georgia native didn't mind.
"Nobody was like, 'Oh we're out here in the rain.' It was more, we attacked it so that was awesome," Willis said. "You don't really pay attention to it because you've got more stuff to worry about. If you worry about the rain, it's probably going to be a negative play."
- Evan Williams made a big play to end the day.
A few minutes after Love floated a TD over Williams, the second-year safety got his QB back when he darted in front of tight end Tucker Kraft to intercept Love on the final play of practice.
Williams joked afterwards he nearly dropped it due to the soggy conditions but fortunately cradled the ball against his body to complete the play.
"It feels great whenever you can get one in practice, especially (off) an alpha guy the caliber of '10.' You definitely celebrate all of those," Williams said. "Give props to my linebacker, kind of gave me a little help in the window, forcing him to double-clutch it, let it go a little later and that's really all it takes from a coverage standpoint."
- Packers provide some injury updates.
Sixteen players didn't practice, including defensive linemen Kenny Clark (back) and Lukas Van Ness (back), guard Aaron Banks (back), offensive lineman Jacob Monk (hamstring) and receiver Savion Williams (hamstring).
Defensive lineman Barryn Sorrell and safety Omar Brown also didn't practice.
On Sunday, LaFleur told reporters Sorrell will "miss some time" due to a knee injury he suffered against the Colts while Brown stayed in Indianapolis over the weekend due to a chest injury. LaFleur was hopeful Brown would be released from the hospital on Monday.
"It's his lung. That's a pretty serious thing," said LaFleur. "But he's showing a lot of improvement, so that's a positive."
The Packers got Doubs back after the fourth-year receiver sat out of the joint practice against the Colts due to a back injury he suffered in practice last Tuesday.
"It felt pretty solid to be back out with the team today," Doubs said. "Obviously, I had a little back issue, but things are going really well right now and I just look forward to my day-to-day process."
